9 Tips for Succeeding in Your Role With a New Company

If you have recently made the decision to take a job with a new company, or are considering a change, you are not alone. A lot of people are and have been in the same boat, including myself.

However, there is a lot of uncertainty that comes with starting a position at a new company, as you navigate new processes, co-worker relationships, environments, and expectations. Change can be scary, especially when it takes you out of your comfort zone.

I worked with my previous employer for 11 years, which is a long time. The decision to leave wasn’t an easy or quick one. I was comfortable, enjoyed my co-workers, and knew how the company operated like the back of my hand. But something was missing – I didn’t feel like there were opportunities for me to advance, challenge myself, and grow both professionally and personally. When I decided to make the move, I wanted a company and environment that filled this void, and I found that in DemandLab.

If you are making the decision to start a new job, here are some tactics I used to ensure that I was ready to hit the ground running and see success sooner in my new role.

1. Set Goals

It’s important to set workplace goals, both on your own and with your manager. These could be short-term goals such as learning and improving an internal process, long-term goals such as developing a solid relationship and becoming integrated with a client or getting proper organization and documentation in place, or both.

It’s also important to set developmental goals outside of your day to day job to help you achieve success in your role. For example, with personal and professional development funding from DemandLab, I am training to become Marketo Certified. Though my role does not require an intense technical background, this certification will help me become more knowledgeable and successful in my role of supporting clients and growing our business.

Setting goals will keep you on track with getting up to speed in your new position, and also make sure you are meeting the expectations that your manager and colleagues expect of you.

2. Ask questions

No one expects you to know everything, and quite honestly, it can come across as a negative if you go into your new role thinking you have all the answers. When joining a new company, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is being afraid to ask questions. Before you know it, you are in way over your head and trying to play catch-up.

When I first started at DemandLab, I was apprehensive about asking a lot of questions, thinking it might suggest that I was not prepared for the role, but I quickly discovered that my co-workers welcomed questions and that asking them was vital to my success. It not only helped me understand how the company operated, but how I could add value by suggesting ways to improve based on my experience. This is especially true if you are in a remote position, where it is not as easy to walk down the hall and find the answer. In this type of situation, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone or message a co-worker to get a better understanding of the answer you are seeking.

Try to find the right balance between asking meaningful questions and not coming across as ill-prepared or unqualified. For example, asking about the company’s current processes or procedures, what company-specific acronyms mean, and background information on current clients are all meaningful questions.

3. Get Organized

The first few weeks are going to involve you sitting in a lot of meetings, taking a lot of conference calls, and wrapping your head around a ton of information. Make sure you block off some “heads down” time to get organized and frame out how you are going to excel at your job. This could include weekly meetings with team members, organizing client documentation, creating or revising status reports, and developing project management flows.

In my experience, a combination of relying on tools from your previous role as well as tools at your new company will help you achieve this goal. For instance, there might be project management platforms in place already to help you stay on track. I also block time on my calendar each week to get organized and prioritize what I need to accomplish that week. This helps me not only stay on track with my goals, but also helps me piece together what I have been learning, and how my role fits in with the company.

For example, as an Account Manager, I’m integrating my role and organizing my work by utilizing internal sync meetings with team members and the project management tool Asana to make sure we are meeting the needs of the client, resolving any issues in a timely manner, and strategically helping the client achieve their goals.

4. Be Proactive

Don’t be afraid to take initiative and be proactive in your new role. If you have an idea for improving a process based on past experience, bring it up. As an example, in my current role as Account Manager, I discussed ideas around providing support to our clients through status documents and strategic recommendations on ways to resolve pain points, as well as providing documentation around what is being accomplished during the engagement that the client can share internally with their team members.

Come prepared to internal meetings with thoughts, ideas and a unique POV. Chances are, this is what your boss is expecting of you. And remember, you only get one chance to make a good impression with your new company.

5. Get to know your co-workers

It’s important to take the time and get to know your co-workers during the first few weeks. This is especially true in a smaller agency environment and in a remote-based position. Working remotely is becoming more common–70% of professionals work remotely at least one day a week, while 53% work remotely for at least half of the work week. While there are many perks to this structure, the one downside is that you don’t get face-to-face time with your co-workers on a daily basis.

DemandLab is a 100% remote company, and what I found invaluable was to block time off in my calendar to speak to each team member about their roles, how my role can complement theirs, and what pain points they might be having that I can help solve. This is important not only when starting your new position but as an ongoing activity. This type of contact and relationship-building develops a culture of support, respect, and collaboration which results in not only the company succeeding but employees growing as well.

Remember, this is not your old company. At your prior job, it took time to build up a relationship with your co-workers and for them to trust that you were dependable and good at what you do. Trust is a key value at DemandLab and what I have witnessed is that this not only promotes a healthy work environment but when there is trust amongst employees, people are given the ability to make decisions, be accountable and succeed.

6. Don’t get overwhelmed

There will be a lot to absorb in the first few weeks. No one expects you to be an expert in everything or get it all right, so relax and know it will take time. In my experience it takes a good three to six months to really get a firm grip on the role, environment, and procedures. I am approximately five months into my role at DemandLab and still find myself learning every day. I find it helpful to slow down, revisit topics if needed, and ask questions, just to make sure I am putting myself in a position to be successful.

7. Add value

Your first week or two is going to be a whirlwind as you try to identify where your role fits in. Make sure that as you absorb this information, you are also looking for ways to add value. Pull from experiences in your past roles, and offer a unique point of view. Think back to the interview process and the expectations your manager conveyed to you about your role, and make sure you are working on ways to meet those expectations. Keep in mind, adding value does not always need to be on a large scale (i.e. in my role as account manager developing account strategy documents for clients). It can be as simple as recommending a new way to complete a task or resolving an issue with a client.

8. Ask for Feedback

Don’t be hesitant about asking for feedback from your manager or co-workers about how you are performing and if there are areas you need to improve upon. Especially in your first few weeks and months, you want to make sure you are aligning with the expectations and values of the company.

Some of the core values at DemandLab are accountability, integrity, and honesty. As I was learning my new role and starting to figure out how to succeed, I wanted to make sure I was aligning with these values, as that is what leads to success. Set up one-on-one meetings with your manager at least once a week, and review your progress. This will ensure expectations are being met and even exceeded.

9. Never stop learning

Don’t settle or slow down just because you landed this new role. Now is the time, more than ever, to put in the effort and continue learning. Maybe a co-worker mentions a program that you are not familiar with or a marketing tool that you need to research. Investigate new skills that will help you in your current role and help you stay informed about what is going on with your industry, and then lay out a plan to implement those skills.

For example, I am involved in local networking groups where I live in an effort to stay current within my industry. I also block time to complete Marketo training courses to become more knowledgeable in using this tool, and frequently read the book “What Clients Really Want” by Chantell Glenville as a way to remind myself of the key ways to support clients in my role as Account Manager.

Here at DemandLab, we prioritize employee development and offer assistance for employees to grow both personally and professionally. This type of support fosters not only successful people, but a healthy work environment, which is key to company success.

Making the decision to start a job at a new company can be stressful, but it can also be rewarding if you find the right opportunity and environment. DemandLab fit that mold for me – it is a small company, which means accountability is high, but that forces me to work hard, challenge myself, and prove I can make a difference in helping the company succeed. Just remember, by relying on your experience, challenging yourself, and following some of these tips, you will no doubt succeed in your new role.

What are some tips and success stories you have had when starting a new job? Share your thoughts below.